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$1500-$2000 Gaming Build

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Approximate Purchase Date: Aug-Sep

Budget Range: $1500-$2000 After Rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Gaming, and Browsing

Parts Not Required: Keyboard/Mouse/(PSU-See below)/(Monitor-See below)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg preferred but will use any reputable site

Country of Origin: United States

Parts Preferences: Mid sized tower

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050, 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Window/LED/Bling not preferred; Quiet/low temp preferred; Want a gaming computer that is upgradeable and set to handle BC3, Diablo 3, etc.
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Corsair Graphite 600T ($159.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Intel Core i5-2500K ($219.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

ASRock Z68 Extreme4 ($189.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC312800) ($69.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

EVGA SuperClocked GeForce GTX 570 ($339.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM ($64.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

CoolerMaster Hyper 212 plus 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler ($30)
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10...

Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit ($99.99)

Current PSU
PCPower and Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V (3 years old)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Is this PSU sufficient or should I replace? I wouldn't mind keeping my old rig together, but if the saved money can be put to worthwhile upgrades, then I'll go for that.

Replacement PSU
Corsair Professional Series Gold AX850 ($189.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Current Monitor
Acer X193W+BD 1680x1050
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...


I could also use recommendations on SSDs (if necessary?), monitor, thermal grease and any other upgrades with good cost vs performance ratio. My first build was with Mushkin RAM and never had any issues with it. I'm not tied to the brand, but have had great success with it. The same can be said about PCP&C PSU. However, I'll use any item with a better price vs performance vs reliability than the name brands listed.

Current Build Price:
$1175 w/o PSU/Monitor
$1365 w/ Corsair PSU

Your help is much appreciated!

More about : 1500 2000 gaming build

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Gaming Expert

Great selection , but you can look for combos to save some money :
Do you need an optical drive? if yes then look at this combo :

CPU & Optical Drive : $226-i5 2500K & Samsung DVD Writer

PSU & Case : $260- Corsair Graphite 600T & Corsair Enthusiast TX850(Same wattage power supply but with bronze rating)

Motherboard: $170-Gigabyte GA Z68X UD3H (Has same features but is cheaper)

SSD: $200-OCZ Agility 3 120GB (On sale can't get any cheaper)

Maybe you can think of getting a 24" monitor of higher resolution like ,
$200- Asus 24" VE248H LED Backlit 1920X1080

$300- Samsung 27"

Your present power supply is sufficient for your single GPU solution, but 850 Watt is recommended for dual GPU config.

Thanks for the suggestions. I made a few changes and of course found a few new/other combo deals. Currently sitting at $1362 + shipping includes a PSU and monitor.

Considering downgrading to the GTX 560 ti Twin Frozr OC. Benchmarks have it placed almost as high as a normal 570. If I keep my current monitor (1650x1050), then this card will be more than enough juice. If I buy a new 1920x1080 monitor, will the 560 ti have enough juice for the new games such as Battlefield 3, Diablo 3, etc? Or would I need an SLI configuration to stay current?

Is the SSD really worth the speed? I really am not concerned with boot speed as I am rarely in a rush to get it booted. Will an SSD make a real, $200 difference is the performance of the PC during gaming?

If I purchase the Hyper 212+, do I need to buy some thermal paste also or does it come with quality paste?

Does anyone see any size/fitting problems with the selected case, cooler and GPU? I have not built a computer in 3+ years and haven't not seen the true size of the new GPUs (last one was a HD4850).

Any suggestions on a better case which is not bling/flashy, but roomy and has great cooling? I do plan to try and OC my 2500K to 4.5ghz but am unsure how much cooling that will require.

Thanks for all the help.
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Gaming Expert

Since you are a patient about booting, considering dropping it, or getting a 64GB one . It will cost around $120.

560Ti should run most games without problems at 1920X1080. However since no one has yet tested Battlefield 3, or even Diablo 3, there remain's a question mark. Get one 560Ti now. If you find it struggles to play those games at HD resolution then consider adding another.

CM Hyper 212 comes with a decent thermal paste.

Most modern cases costing upward of $50 are designed to accomodate two GPU easily. There may be some exception with exceptionally long GPU like 6990 or even gtx 590. Otherwise its not a problem.

Do read this article on gaming cases: http://www.techspot.com/review/408-gaming-case-roundup/
Gaming Expert

With the corsair cases you really should have no issues with graphics card length or size in general.

I would recommend getting an extension for the 8 pin connector for the motherboard Either 8" or 12". They are cheap and will let you route the 8 pin connector nicely behind the motherboard tray. The cable 'might' be just long enough but the extension will make sure it is.

AlterReality said:


Is the SSD really worth the speed? I really am not concerned with boot speed as I am rarely in a rush to get it booted. Will an SSD make a real, $200 difference is the performance of the PC during gaming?



How much time do you spend looking at load screens for the kinds of games you play? In an RPG, it might be quite a bit of time because there are so many area transitions. In a multiplayer FPS, chances are you just load the whole area at the beginning of each game. I haven't played Battlefield 2 in a while, but unless it was patched, it takes a ridiculously long time to load.

Other than improving your loading time, your SSD will not affect performance. I'm looking forward to getting myself an SSD, because the games I play tend to have a lot of loading.

Confused Turtle said:
How much time do you spend looking at load screens for the kinds of games you play? In an RPG, it might be quite a bit of time because there are so many area transitions. In a multiplayer FPS, chances are you just load the whole area at the beginning of each game. I haven't played Battlefield 2 in a while, but unless it was patched, it takes a ridiculously long time to load.

Other than improving your loading time, your SSD will not affect performance. I'm looking forward to getting myself an SSD, because the games I play tend to have a lot of loading.


the upgrade to ssd is extremely noticeable on every program u install on the ssd.

simple things such as double clicking chrome and having it instantly, and i do mean INSTANTLY, open is indeed a luxury, but upon using an ssd i simply could never go back to a standard hd.

i really do think it improves productivity as i am constantly less annoyed about the speed of my programs opening, etc and am in a better frame of mind to work :o 

my .02

patti88 said:
600t case is indeed beautiful (i own one) but god almighty it doesn't cool jack ****


The case is definitely something I'm on the fence about. While I like the look of the Corsair 600T, it is a pretty large mid case (10+ inches wide). I've also read several feedbacks about the cooling of the case to be fairly poor, but couldn't find official reviews stating that.

As such, would I be better off, from a cooling perspective, to purhcase a HAF 912 ($59.99) with an additional fan or 2 ($10-20 each). I could then upgrade my mobo to ASRock for the USB 3.0 plate for the front.

HAF 912 vs Corsair 600T... which will provide better cooling without the expense of too much noise?
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